Flutter and Dart Cookbook

Chapter 15. Working with Firebase and Flutter

In this chapter, you will learn the basics of using Firebase with Flutter. Firebase provides a suite of tools and services to simplify the building of complex applications. Central to using Firebase are the most common options of authentication and databases.

In contrast to Flutter, Firebase can be pretty intimidating, especially if you are used to working only with the frontend. While this chapter covers the most common use case for Firebase integration, it is well worth exploring the full suite to get a feel for the environment. Firebase and Flutter are perfect partners, even more so as of Google I/O 2022, as Firebase now supports Flutter as a first-party platform.

Over the course of this chapter, you will be introduced to the various billing models, setting up the backend and client environments. You will learn how to:

• Use the Firebase billing tier

• Set up a local development environment

• Work with the Firebase Emulator Suite

• Configure a Firestore database

• Write to a Firestore database

• Read from a Firestore database

• Enable Firebase Authentication

The objective of this chapter is to allow you to take advantage of the Firebase platform in your applications.

15.1 Using the Firebase Platform with Flutter

Problem

You want to understand the Firebase solution and how components relate to Flutter development.

Solution

Consult the Firebase documentation to understand the options available. The Firebase solution provides ...